Why does everyone hate Novak Djokovic?

One of the first people to come to Djokovic's defense was his German rival: "The first thing I want to say is, please, guys, don't boo a player when he leaves injured. I know that everyone has paid for their ticket and wanted to see a great five-set match. But you have to understand that Novak Djokovic has given his whole life to sport over the last 20 years," Zverev said, per the Daily Mail.

Djokovic picked up an injury late in the first set of his quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz. After heading to the locker room for treatment, he returned to the court and defeated the Spaniard. However, Alcaraz later accused Djokovic of using a "malicious tactic" to disrupt the game.

This incident is just another chapter in the rollercoaster love-hate relationship Djokovic has had with tennis fans throughout his career. But what is it about the Serbian star that seems to rub so many people the wrong way?

One of Djokovic's longtime rivals, American Andy Roddick, weighed in on the public's perception of him compared to his generational adversaries, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Speaking on his podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick,' he noted that Djokovic is the least popular of the three among fans.

"I feel like Novak Djokovic is the guy who broke up the Beatles, he's like the Yoko Ono of tennis. (…) He's the one we didn't want, we didn't need. We had the rivalry, we had the left-hander and the right-hander," said Roddick about his breakthrough in the world of tennis.

"Suddenly there was this cyborg but also someone who plays with a lot of emotion who comes in and says, 'I'm complete. You can't go through me, you can't go around me, I'm going to take these guys' hits.' It was weird. It was almost like the mainstream type of fan, who isn't focused on tennis, was a little bit angry with him for that," he added.

Roddick’s words reflect an undeniable reality: from the moment Djokovic broke through to challenge the dominance of Nadal and Federer, he has carried the stigma of being the 'third wheel' in their legendary rivalry – a perceived interloper disrupting the once-idyllic duel between the Spaniard and the Swiss.

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He added: "He doesn't do anything to be appreciated, he does things because he wants to do them that way. We gain a lot when we are ourselves. For a moment he wanted to get away from that warrior image he has, he lived through different things in his childhood, so he is actually a warrior! (…) He would have had to accept that from the beginning. He would have been even more appreciated."

A prime example of this came in July 2024 at Wimbledon. After defeating Denmark's Holger Rune in the round of 16, Djokovic took to Centre Court in front of 15,000 spectators and, mimicking the boos from the crowd, declared, "For those who respected me, good night. For those who didn’t, gooooood night."

He also stirred controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he proudly displayed a Hilandar cross from the Orthodox Church after each match. This symbol of his deep religious beliefs became a protest gesture against the event's opening ceremony, which had faced backlash from more conservative and religious groups.

Over the years, Djokovic has made numerous efforts to improve his image with fans, offering gestures of goodwill both on and off the court. He’s always ready to take photos, sign autographs, perform exhibitions, and engage in meaningful humanitarian work. Yet, despite all this, none of it has quite managed to win him the widespread affection he craves within the tennis world.

The opposite is true among his fellow players, where Djokovic is widely respected on the international tennis circuit. This has been evident on numerous occasions, such as when John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, and John Millman defended him during the vaccination controversy, or in the aftermath of his recent contentious match with Alexander Zverev.

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